Celebrating Black Veterans

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 21:29:16 -0500

"Black Americans have been fighting to protect the freedom of all Americans, since our Nation’s founding. It bears repeating: for too long, too many Veterans who fought to protect our rights and freedoms have had to fight brutal battles here at home for their own rights and freedoms." At VA "those fights are over...those fights are over."
- Secretary Denis McDonough

VA is celebrating Black Veterans and encouraging all Veterans to tell their stories. Veterans are encouraged to visit (https://rly.pt/BlackHistoryMonth) to learn more or share their experiences with the Veterans History Project run by the Library of Congress (https://rly.pt/VeteransHistoryProject).

We invite you to attend:

» VA’s Center for Minority Veterans - Black History Month Program on February 1, 2024: Events Calendar - Center for Minority Veterans (https://rly.pt/CMVCalendar).

» Black History Month Virtual Outreach Symposium on February 8, 2024: Outreach and Events - Black History Month Virtual Outreach Symposium (https://rly.pt/BlackHistoryMonthOutreach).

With RallyPoint, we’ve previously partnered to answer Veteran questions in February 2023 with the VetXL: Minority Veterans Together event in honor of Black History Month. Some of the questions included:

“There is a great need for a panel to investigate the disparity in how disability cases are handled and awarded. There is a huge disparity between male and female ratings and between white and other races. So, if I am an AA female I am at the bottom. The state of Florida would be a good place to start.”

“I am African American disabled veteran residing in the state of Alabama. I and several other African American veterans in my state have been denied several times or delayed when trying to get disability benefits. I trained myself to do and help other veterans obtain disability benefits. I noticed that veterans that I help that are not African Americans get their benefits faster and with no problems. Some have not served any time other than training while on active duty. I truly understand systematic racism. My question is what can you or are you doing to help African American veterans in the southern states other than talk about the problems?”

What can we do, as a veteran community, to help promote these programs to minority veterans? How can we help?

We invite you to comment on these and the many more questions and feedback or ask new questions! Ask or comment here: VetXL: Minority Veterans Together Q&A (https://rly.pt/MinorityVetXLQA).

Get the benefits and services you’ve earned:

If you have any questions about how to access your VA benefits, please call us at 1-800-MyVA411 or visit us at VA.gov. You may also be interested in VA’s Center for Minority Veterans (https://rly.pt/VACMV).

Spread the word:

Please use these outreach kits to share Veteran resources with your networks.

The outreach kit includes flyers, social media graphics and suggested corresponding language, radio public service announcements (PSA), newsletter content and a sample blog post to help you spread the word.

» What can VA health care do for you? (https://rly.pt/VAHealthcareOutreachKit)
» What can VA disability compensation do for you? (https://rly.pt/VADisabilityCompensation)

Black History Month 2024

Response by SGT Ruben Lozada made Feb 9 at 2024 2:59 PM

SGT Ruben Lozada — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 14:59:32 -0500

Good afternoon. Excellent post. Thank You for sharing this on RP. :-]

Response by Cpl George Matousek made Feb 16 at 2024 4:33 PM

Cpl George Matousek — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 16:33:49 -0500

Race should have nothing to do with VA benefits, he/she is a Vet. that is all that matters. Semper Fi

Response by SSG Bob Robertson made Feb 19 at 2024 1:18 PM

SSG Bob Robertson — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:18:31 -0500

There is no such thing as a white, black, brown, red, or any other kind of veteran. We are all brothers who served. This is just one more thing to KEEP us divided. Period. End of discussion.

Response by 1SG(P) Dean Mcbride (MPER) (SPHR) made Mar 2 at 2024 10:52 AM

1SG(P) Dean Mcbride (MPER) (SPHR) — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 10:52:22 -0500

I may be a little late in posting this... However, Better Late Than Never!
Don't forget to celebrate, honor, and remember my good friend and Brother in Arms, Master Sergeant Melvin Hill. One of the finest soldiers I ever served with!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McQ8hzmJ3YU

Melvin Hill Tribute by Bonnie Cooper

SFC Hill as a member of MACV-SOG RT Florida made the first combat HALO jump in Army history 28 November 1970.Pictured with friends Cliff Newman, Jim "Wild Ca...

Response by PFC David Higgins made Mar 8 at 2024 7:03 PM

PFC David Higgins — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 19:03:13 -0500

It has always amazed me that the Military is so willingly and
openly accepting ldentity Politics and so many are afraid to
challenge it. Whether it be Color, Race, Sex, or Religion, all are
irrelevant while in "UNIFORM." Just think of that word. Two root
words from Latin that ultimately means "ONE FORM" The only
things that should ever matter to any one in the Military is Duty,
Purpose, Courage, Honor, and Oath to God and
Brothers/Country. For ultimately a Country is your Kin, your
Family to one degree or another. Instead of these multiple
'adjectives" the Uniform and Common Standards for all,
irrespective of their origins, race, color, or gender, should be
uniting factors in pursuit of those goals above all else. It is a
shame that we have forgot the most important lessons of the
past, not just our Country's History, but those Republics before
us that we modeled ourselves after.

Response by SFC Kevin Childers made Jul 25 at 2024 8:56 PM

SFC Kevin Childers — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 20:56:22 -0400

Give them the respect shown to veterans of the 555th ParacParachute Infantry Bn, by our VA rep a retired Special Forces CSM w/the MoH. Who upon entering the NCO club for Sunday brunch every week. First stop, the 555th's table where he greeted each of them by name.

The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, nicknamed The Triple Nickles, was an all-black airborne unit of the United States Army during World War II.

Response by SGT Daniel Myers made Aug 1 at 2024 4:10 AM

SGT Daniel Myers — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 04:10:22 -0400

African American? Why not just an American? I'm Native American and have also faced my own difficulties, but never once asked for any "programs" as a minority veteran or to be addressed as a Native American even though I'm light skinned (genetic deformity). Most of the men in my unit were black and were my FAMILY. I had their back and they had mine. I'm certainly not saying there's no such thing as racism in this country, but as soon as we stop separating and classing people as different than ourselves, the better off we'll be as a society.

Response by SGT Lorenzo Nieto made Aug 29 at 2024 7:17 AM

SGT Lorenzo Nieto — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 07:17:46 -0400

Back in 1968 in viet nam the only thing black and Mexicans were good for was body count I should know I’m a Mexican sometime the truth hurts.